Download Unit 6 The Middle Ages

When Rome fell barbarian
groups began to occupy
their own territory
--Angles & Saxons (England)
--Visigoths (Spain)
--Franks (France)
--Constant war and chaos led
to breakdown of trade,
cities became unsafe and
abandoned, learning of the
ancient world was lost
--People moved to the country
and lived in fortified castles
--Churches and Monasteries
become the only places of
literacy
 Franks established largest of Germanic Kingdoms,
united by Charles Martel
 Defeats Muslim armies at the Battle of Tours in 732
 Frankish kings began practice of seizing land to
give to knights for their military service
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crejWfattI8
 Charlemagne expanded
his Kingdom and created
an empire
 expanded practice of land
for service and encouraged
it among nobles, knights,
and peasants
--used aggressive war
techniques and divided his
kingdom but kept a close
eye on lords and nobles
--constructed beautiful
buildings
--promoted learning and
attracted the best
scholars
At the request of the Pope
becomes Emperor of the
Holy Roman Empire in 800 A.D.
--Western Europe now
independent of Byzantines
--New political and religious unity
of Western Europe under
Christianity
--After his death empire divided
amongst his sons
 With Charlemagne’s death
new groups invaded
Europe—Slavs, Magyars,
Muslims
 Greatest threat was from
the Vikings, in Northern
Europe, who attack
coastlines in search of
trade, loot, and land
--great sailors who used their
longboats and vicious
fighting ability to spread
destruction
--Vikings did create new
trade routes and
settlement throughout
Europe
 Feudalism—begins in Europe out of need to
provide for basic security and protection
--created to help people survive the breakdown of
central government
 Kings offer nobles grant of land (fief) in exchange
for loyalty & service
 Nobles (lords) provide knights to the king
 Knights were given land by nobles in exchange for
their service
 Peasants (serfs)were given protection in return
for labor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WHRxXY67UA&feature=PlayList&p=4671DC6E845906D1&playnext=1&i
ndex=9
In Feudalism, there was NO SOCIAL MOBILITY!
Hence, why it lasted for so long.
Social—created a strict class
structure based on land to
vassals in exchange for
service
--people could not change their
social position
Political—king based rulings
on advice of his nobles
--build large castles and build
large armies of knights
--often fought with each other
or king in an attempt to grab
more land
--gave Nobles tremendous
power and influence
Economic— most people live on self sufficient
manors
Manorialism-- lords land where peasants (serfs )
work to produce their own food, clothing and
shelter
Peasants (serfs) are completely
tied to the land and the laws
of the Lord
Peasants raised the animals and
farmed using the three-field
system to rotate crops seasonally,
bad weather often led to famine
Most serfs were farmers working
long hours year round only
religious days provided a break
and lifeline
Role of women in Middle Ages was determined by the
attitudes of the Catholic Church
Wanted women to be obedient to men (like Eve) and bear
children
Extended families were common(many related peasants lived
with or close to one another)
Women’s lifestyles depended on status
--Noble women (prayers and domestic chores), little
education
Chivalry--A code of conduct for knights to follow (raised the
status of noble women in feudal society)
--Peasant women (worked with men in fields and ran
household)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfMTsYcLt10
Political
Write a two sentence
summary of the effects of
Feudalism on Western
Europe for each.
Economic
Social
 During Middle Ages the
Catholic Church was the single
most powerful organization in
Western Europe
The pope was head of the Church
Christians were united by faith
and belief that the Church held
the power to send them to
heaven or hell
Church was largest landowner in
Europe and created wealth
through tithes (church taxes)
Church was the main center of
learning--church officials usually
only ones who could read and
write, relied on by rulers because
of education
Outreach—possessed monasteries,
abbeys, and convents throughout
Europe to spread their message
St. Augustine—Appealed to faith
in God for salvation
--documented the fall of Rome and
concluded that only heaven is
eternal
St. Thomas Aquinas—wrote
Summa Theologica which
stated that Christian teachings
were compatible with reason
and natural law (not passed by
govts)
--men use natural laws to judge
govt laws and could overthrow
unjust rulers(God through the
people)
 Christian Europeans and
Muslims fight for control of
the Holy Land
--Christian pilgrims not allowed
access to “Holy Land” by Seljuk
Turks
 Pope Urban II calls on all
Christians to unite and fight a
Crusade(Holy war) to
recapture holy land from
Muslims
--Church promises salvation to
all who participate
“Begin the journey to the Holy Sepulcher; conquer that
land which the wicked have seized, the land given by
God to the children of Israel and which, as the
Scripture says, “is all milk and honey”. Undertake this
journey for [forgiveness] of your sins, with the promise
of “glory which will not fade” in Heaven. When you
make an armed attack on the enemy, let all those on
God’s side cry out, “God will it!”
What were some of the reasons that inspired Europeans
to take part in the Crusades?
Crusades bring rulers across Europe
together for a common cause, three
major Crusades
 (1) Crusaders capture Jerusalem and
organize formal states
 (2) Saladin takes Jerusalem
 (3) Richard I negotiates access to
holyland for Christian pilgrims
Effects of Crusades
--expose Europeans to new ideas and
goods (use of zero, silk, perfumes)
--increased trade between Europe
and Middle East
--Growth of Intolerance (Christians
persecute Muslims and Jews,
Muslims persecute Christians)
Power
Describe the influence of
the Catholic Church
during the Middle Ages
for each in one sentence.
Learning and Art
Crusades
Trade begins to revive in manors,
cities and towns, new merchant
class grows with demand
--Merchants and craftsman
organize into powerful
associations known as guilds
--with wealth comes inventions
(windmills, watermills), and
founding of universities
(Bologna and Paris)
Church builds large cathedrals,
using gothic architecture
(pointed arches, spires, stained
glass windows)
The Greek Parthenon
Chartres Cathedral
English Nobles rebel against taxes
and forced loans of King John
King John forced to sign the
Magna Carta in 1215 it
guaranteed:
--right to trial by jury
--king has to have consent of
nobles to raise taxes (leads to
formation of Parliament)
--limited monarchy
Several factors and events contributed to
the end of Medieval Europe
The Great Famine (1313—1322)—heavy
rains lead to food shortages in Europe
--people begin to question--why Church let
this happen
The Black Death (Bubonic Plague)
(1347—1351)—rats carrying infected fleas
entered Europe from Asian trading ships
--25 million die (1/3 pop. of Europe),
shortage of labor led to decline of
serfdom
--Black Death led people again to question
the church, fear plague is punishment for
sinful living
Crusades stimulate trade and lead to the
growth of towns
“In the year of the Lord 1348 there was a great pestilence in the city
of Florence . It was of such a fury that in houses in which it took
hold healthy servants who took care of the ill died. Almost none
of the ill survived past the fourth day. Neither physicians nor
medicines were effective. There seemed to be no cure. There
was such a fear that no one seemed to know what to do. When it
took hold in a house it often happened that no one remained
who had not died. And it was not just that men and women
died, but even animals died. At every church, they dug deep
trenches, down to the waterline, depending on how large the
parish was. And those who were responsible for the dead carried
them on their backs in the night and threw them into the ditch,
or else they paid a high price to those who would do it for them.”
What impact did the plague have on Florence and how did the
people react?
Hundred Years War (1337—1453)—between England &
France over a claim to the French Throne
--strengthens royal power in both countries (kings built
own armies and didn’t rely on nobles)
--new technology (longbow, gunpowder, canons) and armies
make knights less important
Joan of Arc leads the French and drives the English out of
Orleans, later captured and burned as heretic
The Great Schism (1378—
1417)—Pope clashes with
European kings over
treatment of clergy,
Church land and taxes
Split papacy (pope)
between Avignon,
France and Rome
Church Council finally
elects one new pope, and
moves Papacy to Rome
People begin to question
the authority of the
Church
The Crusades
The Black Death
The Great
Schism
The Hundred
Years War
1st Divide you paper into four square sections and write each
of the four causes at the top
2nd Rank each based on how important you feel it was in
ending the Middle Ages
--1 is the most important, 4 is the least important
3rd write one sentence supporting why you gave each the
ranking that you did
4th draw a picture that best represents your supporting reason
5th be prepared to present your poster to the class